Washington DC officials have named and pictured the three Black Hawk helicopter pilots who died in the deadly crash last week - one of whom has a White House connection. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, 39, the pilot in charge, chief Staff Sergeant Ryan O'Hara, 28, and Captain Rebecca Lobach, 28, died alongside 64 passengers onboard American Airlines flight 5342 when the two aircraft collided above Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on January 29. They were participating in a training exercise at around 6pm that Wednesday when they crashed into the plane, a Bombardier CRJ700, as it prepared to land after travelling from Wichita, Kansas.

Details about the tragic incident were initially kept under wraps as Washington first responders worked to recover crash victims' bodies from the Potomac river, where the twisted remains of both aircraft fell. Families and friends of the three pilots have now come forward and shared emotional tributes, and details of Captain Lobach's storied career - including her stint at the White House - have been made public.

While the US Army identified Officer Eaves and Sergeant O'Hara soon after the crash, Captain Lobach's identity was not made public until a few days later. Officials released her name "at the request of and in coordination with" her family, members of whom remembered her as a "bright star in all our lives" in a statement released on Saturday. The "warrior", they said, "would not hesitate to defend her country in battle", and had enjoyed a nearly six-year-long career as an aviation officer, having served from July 2019 to January 2025. During those five-and-a-half years, she was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.

Notably, the Captain also served a key role within the Biden administration, acting as a White House aide for the former President during his tenure. She was pictured guiding fashion legend Ralph Lauren as he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a January ceremony, weeks before her shock death. Family and friends of the other two pilots have remembered Officer Eaves and Sergeant O'Hara. Eaves' grieving widow Carrie revealed her husband was one of the Blackhawk pilots last week in a heartfelt statement following the disaster. She said: "I am sure by now all of you have heard the news of the tragedy that has occurred in DC.

"My husband was one of the pilots in the Blackhawk. We ask that you pray for our family and friends and for all the other families that are suffering today. We ask for peace while we grieve." O'Hara's family has been left "devastated" and "totally broken", his father said, with the sergeant having left behind a wife and one-year-old son. Altogether, the trio had nearly 2,000 hours of flight experience combined, as O'Hara had logged "hundreds" of hours, Captain Lobach more than 450, and Officer Eaves more than 1,000. It remains unclear what caused the crash.